


Helga's Room

by comicgeekery



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Friendship, The Founding of Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-04 18:42:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12174474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/comicgeekery/pseuds/comicgeekery
Summary: It's nearly time for Hogwarts to be opened to all the wizarding world. There are only a few small touches left. All the founders have plans for their houses' common rooms, but only Helga Hufflepuff has a special surprise in store.





	Helga's Room

**Helga’s Room**

The wonderful thing about Hogwarts was at this point they’d poured so much magic into it, it was no trouble at all to shape new rooms to your will. Well, at least it was no trouble for someone like Helga who, though too modest to say it, was one of the greatest witches who ever lived. 

It was time to build a room for all the little Hufflepuffians that would be arriving in a few months time. Helga was giddy to think of it. The little witches and wizards of England were far too isolated. Many of them never even got the chance to meet another magical child outside the family, never mind the muggle-borns who must be so frightened by the powers they couldn’t explain or control. 

The founders all had their own reasons for wanting to build a school. Gordric wanted a band of heroes to fight darkness in his name. Salazar wanted a way to bring the wizarding community together enough so that they could see he was the best. (Helga suspected Salazar hoped to be some sort of wizard king one day.) Rowena wanted to standardize basic magical scholarship and then create an unrivalled team for exploring and understanding the magical mysteries of the universe. Helga, on the other hand, was not nearly so ambitious. She only wanted something very simple for her students.

She wanted to give them a place where they belonged.

That was why Helga Hufflepuff’s Official Common Room was so important. It would be a home for all the students in her house. She’d chosen a set of rooms on the ground floor because the last thing anyone wants when they’re going to bed is to climb a bunch of stairs. Next she made sure it had some windows with seats in them to enjoy a good book, but not too many windows. Her house would be their home, but also a bit of a club and everyone knows that a club is no fun if it doesn’t feel a little secret. 

Cozy. That was the next step. Helga waved her wand to put in a few fireplaces for the cold parts of the year and one the other side of the room she conjured a fountain with a wading pool. That would help the children cool off when they needed it. Even better, who didn’t like to play around in a fountain sometimes? She paused while looking at the featureless head of the fountain. Surely she could do better than that! She flicked her wrist and grinned as it took on the shape of a large, fluffy badger spitting upwards. 

_Hmmm_ , she considered. _I suppose badgers will have to be my house animal after all._ She’d been thinking it over for weeks. Rowena had chosen an eagle for her house just to spite everyone, but it was obvious it would be a raven eventually. (Godric was already transfiguring her crests when she wasn’t looking.) With a name like Salazar Slytherin and the ability to speak parseltongue, Sal was certainly never going to choose a moose. And Godric, of course, had needed to go all the way to Africa to get the biggest, strongest, most ostentatious animal he could find. He still didn’t know why they’d all giggled when he’d brought out the lion and Rowena asked if he’d considered a peacock first. 

For her part, Helga loved the industrious critters of the earth. Horses, oxen, rabbits, and even squirrels. But badgers had such cute little faces! How could anyone choose an ox when a badger was an option? With that settled, Helga made a point of adding decorative badgers all over the room. She wondered if it would be too much to give each student a little badger toy when they arrived. Perhaps it would be best to see if the other founders would do the same for their children. After all, she wouldn’t want anyone to be jealous. 

Good heavens! She’d completely forgotten to paint the walls! And were the doorways perhaps a little too plain? Some cozy chairs would be nice, but she had to remember to be practical too. Students would need tables to study at, shelves of books to reference, and little cubbyholes for their things. Yet, wouldn’t it also be nice for the children to have some little surprises to come across as well?

Helga spent hours gleefully casting spells well into the night.

The next day the four friends met to show each other the carefully constructed common rooms. Well, most of them were carefully constructed. Godric seemed to think his students would spend most of their time outside fighting monsters and that all they needed inside was a bed, a fire, and somewhere to put their wet boots. The only personal touch was that his room was high in a tower, not so much because he looked down on people but more because he liked others to look up at him. It took the better part of an hour to convince him to put in some study tables and some basic decorations. He did like the idea of having several large banners with lions on them. 

Rowena’s was even up an even higher tower because someone had to show up Godric. It was elegant a blue and had everything one might need to become an informed and educated witch. On the other hand she wanted everyone to call it “The Nest” and that was never going to ‘take off’ so to speak. 

Honestly, Helga was the most impressed with Salazar’s work. (He tried to act like that was a foregone conclusion, but he still blushed when she said it.) The room was dark and cool enough to make snakes comfortable and had a wonderful view into the lake. How clever! Surely the Slytherinians would love seeing the mer-people swim by!

(Helga didn’t mention that Sal had actually built the _second_ best common room.)

Finally it was Madam Hufflepuff’s turn! She timed it to be just around lunch, which was the perfect time to enjoy a cozy, educational, and fun-filled home. She lead the others through the doorway and finally let out the radiant smile that had been trying to bloom on her face all day.

“Well? What do you think?” she asked eagerly.

Godric, Salazar, and Rowena all looked around the room carefully. The walls were all a warm shade of yellow now with a wooden brown trim. Badgers were a common theme, but Helga had also put in a number of plants (enchanted not to need sunlight) and some beautiful paintings of families and children playing. In one landscape a group of children held a blanket that they pulled up and down to make a small girl bounce into the air. It was called “Muggle Fun”. Helga thought it was a nice gesture toward the muggle-born students, but Salazar stared at it coldly. 

Rowena spoke first. “Well, you’ve certainly accomplished an...earthy atmosphere. I feel as though I’m in a very large cottage. Perhaps one that is underground. It’s...It’s almost a burrow of sorts I suppose.”

Godric sniffed at the unlit fireplaces and flopped into the fluffiest chair, immediately pulling over a table and propping his feet up. He nodded his head in approval. “Nice work. All I need is a leg of mutton and I’ll be right at home.”

Helga winked. “Try looking in the arm of your chair.”

He looked at her quizzically, but fiddled around with the arms on his chair until he figured out which one was hollow then cast alohomora. Instantly a hidden compartment sprang open, revealing a still-steaming plate of mutton and potatoes. Godric roared with laughter. (He was very taken with roaring these days.)

“Some excellent planning, Helga! Is this just for me, or will your students always have a meal on hand in their chairs?”

In return, Helga’s eyes sparkled with delight. “It’s just that chair actually. I plan to always stock it with some sort of treat. But the real idea is to encourage the children to practice their spells. I’ve hidden all sorts of goodies and surprises around the place that will only be revealed if the right spell is cast at them. It’ll show them that there’s a good amount of fun to be had in diligent work.”

Rowena looked impressed. “That’s not a bad idea. It’s a fun little diversion at least and could help the students who lack motivation to study on their own. Where are the other enchantments hidden?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Rowena,” Helga said as innocently as she could. “Are you saying you can’t find them on your own?”

The witches smirked at each other. Ro did always like a chance to try her skills. She twirled her wand and raised an eyebrow. “Do I at least get to know how many there are?”

“Twelve for now. I may add more later.”

“Including the mutton compartment?”

“Of course.” 

Immediately Rowena began to cast spells to reveal enchantments. Simple ones at first and then more advanced. Of course, Helga hadn’t wanted it to be that easy so there were a few false trails and many careful concealments. It wasn’t long before Godric finished his food and joined in, always happy to enjoy a game. Together they found a way to make a mural of flowers dance while telling silly jokes and a candle whose smoke made a web of spun sugar. Still, for the greatest minds of their age their progress was surprisingly slow.

After fifteen minutes Salazar walked up next to Helga. “I’d ask if this was some sort of test to prove your superiority, but we both know you cry at so much as the thought of a child losing at pick-up sticks. What are you trying to accomplish here?”

She gave him a friendly punch on the arm. “There’s more than one kind of game, Sally. It’s not always about getting the most points or beating the other players. Sometimes it’s just about having an experience that brings everyone together. Why don’t you help them? We’re all about to be teachers. Wouldn’t it make you feel happy to have fun with everyone?”

Salazar rolled his eyes at being called Sally and rolled them harder at the suggestion that he might “feel happy” or “have fun”. “I think I will continue to focus on what I’m best at: using my cunning to come out on top. They’ve only found three of your enchantments so far. I will find some satisfaction from discovering more than the two of them put together.”

He smiled his typical cocky smile and gave Helga a bit of a wink. Helga snorted. Salazar always had to do things his own way, just like the others did. It had led to a fair share of fights when they’d all first met, but now Helga saw the charm in it. They were all brilliant witches and wizards. They all had egos to match. That was what let them dream big enough to dare to build a school on a larger scale than Europe had ever known. It was what gave them the courage to think of the magical world as a whole and believe that they could shape it for generations to come. 

The fact was they were all brilliant in their own rights, but they were even better together. They bolstered each other, encouraged, and inspired. Together they would mold the minds of witches and wizards around the country and perhaps even farther. And, it was Helga’s dearest wish, they would do it as friends. They bring out the best in Salazar’s ambition, Rowena’s intelligence, Godric’s bravery, and her own steadfast kindness and teach each other as much as they would teach their students. 

Helga watched fondly as her three best friends explored the room, taking in the details far more thoroughly than they would have otherwise. They saw patterns hidden in the floorboards, Latin carved into the hair of a statue, and the musical notes that played when the chair cushions were rearranged. Helga brought them plates of food as the hunt went on and they teased that she’d chosen a room next to the kitchens on purpose. Rowena showed them some new tricks she’d developed. Godric volunteered to be the one to explore up the chimney. Salazar was the first to suggest putting out all the lights to see what might appear on the ceiling. 

Eventually they found eleven secret enchantments and compartments, including three that each held a present for one of them. Still, after a long hunt the sheen of fun was starting to wear off and frustration was setting in. 

“Are you _sure_ we’ve only found eleven?”

“Yes! I _can_ count, you know!”

“Can you? Thank goodness. I’m glad to know you’ve only been pretending to be a dullard all this time.”

_Oh, dear,_ Helga thought. It would be best to intervene before anyone got too testy. “Would you like me to tell you where the last one is?”

“No!” All three yelled at once.

She held up her hands defensively. “Alright, that’s fine. But how about a hint?”

Rowena held her nose in the air defiantly and Salazar’s gaze burned a hole in his shoes. Still, neither of them said anything. After a moment Godric shrugged and said, “A game’s no good when it stops being fun. Let’s hear that hint, Helg.”

She cleared her throat. “Very well. This last puzzle is one I designed very carefully. No matter how skilled they are, not one of your students will ever be able to solve it. However, the children in my house shall have the will and the way within their first year.”

Godric roared with laughter. “Can it be? Have we finally found the competitive bone in Helga’s body?”

“No,” Rowena spoke slowly. “It’s obviously some sort of riddle. What’s something that the Hufflepuff students will have that ours won’t? This isn’t about those ridiculous wooden badgers you wanted to give out, is it?”

Helga sighed. She still thought the toys were a grand idea. “Not a bad guess, but no.”

They thought in silence for several minutes occasionally throwing out ideas like “access to the kitchens” and “a cute little wading pool”. Still, nothing stuck and no idea inspired anything. Helga began to worry that she really would have to give them the answer. How much patience did they have left?

Just then she felt someone watching her. Salazar had his eyes fixed on her with his head tilted slightly the way he did when he was thinking something clever and _different_. He glanced back at the paintings on the walls, specifically at the one of the muggle children bouncing their friend in a sheet. Finally he sighed and let out a loud groan.

“ _No_.” He spoke with obvious pain.

“What is it?” Helga asked. The others stared at him.

“You _wouldn’t_.”

“Wouldn’t what?”

“What am I saying? Of course you would!”

Rowena smacked him on the head. “Stop being so mysterious, Salazar! What have you figured out?”

He didn’t even bother to glare at her. Instead he just gestured helplessly at Helga. “We’ve been thinking about the riddle all wrong. She said that not _one_ of our students would be able to solve the puzzle, but the _children_ in her house would be able to do it easily. More than that, they’d have the will. Her will. The sort of thing Helga Hufflepuff will spend the rest of her life teaching students to value.”

“You mean…”

“That’s right. We have to use…” Salazar looked a bit ill to say it, “ _teamwork_.”

Godric, Rowena, and Salazar all groaned as Helga had a fit of giggles in the corner. She wasn’t worried. She saw the half-hidden smiles they had now that they had worked out the trick. It only took a few minutes for them to find the hidden enchantment on the base of the badger fountain. On each side there was a bust of a baby badger head. Godric called her over.

“I have a feeling we can’t do this one without you, dear. There are four of them after all.”

Helga nodded and walked into the wading pool, taking her place between Godric and Rowena and across from Salazar. On the count of three the all pointed their wands and called out, “Wingardium leviosa!” 

In an instant the wading pool drained and the fountain rose up, bringing with it a round table set for four with a beautiful cake in the middle. It had taken some careful decorating, but Helga had managed to cast the perfect image into the frosting. It was a crest. Their crest. The lion, the snake, the bird, and the badger. Together they surrounded a bold letter H. 

All four of them stared at the cake and then at each other in silence. This time though, the silence was a warm one, full of misty eyes and words that started but couldn’t quite finish. Helga understood. She wasn’t sure she could speak either. There they were, together. And there was their dream, everything they’d worked for for years, embodied on a cake. It was the silliest, most wonderful thing. 

Suddenly Rowena pulled Helga into a tight hug. “It’s beautiful, dear.” 

“The best damn crest I’ve ever seen,” Godric added. “You sure we should eat the thing?” 

Helga nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ve got some banners and the original sketch back in my room.” She glanced over at Salazar, who looked deep in thought. “What about you, Sal? What do you think?”

“I think…” He paused then looked up at her with a small smile. “I think if I were to be a student of Hogwarts I would be very lucky to be sorted into the house of Hufflepuff.”

“Hear, hear!” Godric called.

“Certainly a wise sentiment,” Rowena agreed. 

Now Helga _knew_ she wouldn’t be able to speak. Her throat was too tight and happy tears spilled from her eyes. Instead she simply nodded her thanks and joined her friends to eat the finest cake any of them had ever tasted.


End file.
